Shadows Within the Cage
by BlueEyedGryffindor
Summary: The daughter of Shikaku, twin sister of Shikamaru, and fourth member of Team Gai. Shikamara Nara is a great kunoichi with a tender heart and a strong will. She seems to have taken a particular liking to a certain shinobi, as well. NejixOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own the story of Naruto, nor any of its characters. However, I do own Shikamara and Yorokobi. The storyline on here is what I have created based on the Naruto series. Enjoy! Please rate and review; tell me what you think!**

* Shikamaru's POV *

I wake up to my alarm clock blaring on my bedside table. I glance over to see that it reads 6:30 am. I had to wake up early because Asuma-sensei decided it would be a _swell _idea to begin training at 7:30. I sigh at my own thoughts. I hit the snooze button, sit up in my bed, and yawn while stretching my arms. I get out of bed and stroll to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

After that, I walk into the kitchen to see my father sipping his tea at the table with his eyes shut, and mother cooking away at the stove. I smile to myself because she was cooking my favorite chocolate chip pancakes.

"'Morning," I tell them, as I walk up to the table to pull a chair out.

"Good morning," my mother chimed, before I sit down. "Shikamaru, will you go wake your sister? She's supposed to be at training in half an hour."

I sigh. Shikamara is a pain in the ass to wake up. She sleeps through anything.

I nod my head and exit the kitchen, walking back down the hallway towards my room, but taking a right instead of a left. I knock on the door, but no answer.

'_Of course_,' I think to myself as I open the door and stick my head in. My sister's bed is on the far side of the room by the window. Light was shining in and I was able to depict the lump as my target.

* Shikamara's POV *

I'm in a meadow of cherry blossom trees, the petals danced around and there was a cool breeze. I smile as I twirl around, my hair flowing in the wind. Everything was so peaceful, until…

"Oi!" I hear, as my own hand lightly slaps my face.

I wake up, but I cannot move.

* Shikamaru's POV *

I look at the lump, which appeared to be in a deep sleep. I create a hand sign and my shadow stretches out and reaches hers. '_Kage mane no jutsu, success,' _I think to myself.

I try to get my twin sister to stand up, but I literally pull on dead weight. She's about my size, probably smaller, but still difficult to lift. I felt my own shadow pull my shoulders down, as I bent over, stumbling. I struggled to stand, but finally had my footing. She's standing in front of me, thanks to my jutsu, but still fast asleep. '_Really?' _I thought.

I take my hand and slap my face lightly, in which she mimicked.

"Oi!" I said loudly. As her hand makes impact, she opens her eyes lazily. Unlike my eyes, hers sparkled like sapphires.

* Shikamara's POV *

I open my eyes to see my brother in front of me. He's wearing his famous smirk and his hand close to his face, and considering I cannot move, I look down to see our shadows connected.

"Did you seriously wake me up using our clan's ninjutsu because you were too lazy to walk over to my bed?" I ask, still standing there.

"Eh, this was easier, and seeing you slap yourself in the face is kind of amusing," he stated with a slight chuckle.

"How funny you are," I said, yawning. He released his jutsu and I staggered, because I lost the support he had given me.

"By the way, you need to be at training in about 10 minutes," he said, turning around and walking out of my room.

I absorbed his words, but they didn't hit me until 20 seconds later. _Crap_, I thought while rushing into the bathroom to brush my teeth and take care of other business.

I went into the kitchen and my nose took to the smell of mother's cooking and coffee. I spoke to both of my parents, grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee and cream, then dashed back to my room.

I was back in my bedroom and peered into my full-length mirror. My messy, spiky brown/black hair was down and hung to my waist, my blue eyes shining through my side bangs. I was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. I yawned, turned, and pulled out my clothes for the day.

My ninja attire for missions include ninja heels, black capris, a fishnet under shirt, a long sleeve shirt(like Shizune's) over that, and my chuunin jacket would be on top. My Konoha headband strapped around my forehead and my hair tied back into a spiky ponytail with hair framing the sides of my face. My tools consist of kunai, scrolls, and other pointy, metal objects.

My training attire varies from black shorts and a purple long-sleeve sweater and black capris with a cut-off shirt. Today, I choose the capris and cut-off with my headband, casual ninja shoes, and my tools. As I packed my necessities for training today, I hauled them into the kitchen.

By that time, it was 6:45. I set my belongings next to the door and sat down at the dinner table where my mother had prepared my chocolate chip pancakes. Shikamaru and my father were both sitting down as well. Shikamaru stuffing his face with the fluffy, chocolaty goodness that was my mother's cooking and my father was quietly drinking his morning tea.

Mother came to the table and replenished my coffee.

"Shikamara, when will you be through with training?" she asked, as she started cleaning the kitchen.

"Not until about 11:30, then Shika and I are going to each lunch at Ichiraku's," I say, in between bites. I was going to be late if I did not hurry.

"Good. Maybe later you and your brother can train with me this afternoon," my father piped in, giving me a sly grin. I gave the same smile back as my brother let out a groan. My father and I always teamed up on Shika when we trained.

"Shikamaru, quit whining like you're some genin. You are a chuunin and your sister is a jounin. You know you need more training," my father scolded. "You could be a jounin and have been a grade ahead like your sister, but you did not apply yourself."

That was true. Shikamaru is so lazy, but has a lot of potential, as shown in the Chuunin exam that was interrupted by Orochimaru's plot to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village.

My twin brother and I are similar in many ways, other than our physical appearance. Minus our hairstyles and eye color, we were practically identical. Oh, and my brother does not have as large of breasts that I do. We both tend to be a bit lazy and we have a calming persona. Our IQ levels are over 200 and we can easily hide our emotions, for the most part. We attempt to look at situations like our father does, with a level head. The differences are that I am more of a compassionate person. I also try to better myself and take initiative when I have confidence in myself, though that is not too often.

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya, Dad," Shikamaru replies lazily. "What time are we training with you?"

"3:00," our father replies, standing up and leaving the kitchen.

I stood up as well, grabbing a cup of coffee to-go.

"Oh, has anyone seen Yorokobi?" I ask, before I place my fingers in my mouth to let out a loud whistle.

Before I knew it, a brown flash came running up to me, wagging her tail and licking my hand. Yorokobi was my ninja dog, whom tags along occasionally on missions, but mostly assists in herding the family deer. She is a sweetheart.

I told my family good-bye before gathering my things and rushing to the training grounds to meet my team with Yorokobi.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When I reached the training grounds, it was 6:59. As I walked over to the three wooden targets, with Yorokobi trailing behind, I spotted my teammates.

One boy had black, shiny hair that was cut in the shape of a bowl and eyebrows as big and fuzzy as caterpillars. He wore a green jumpsuit that I suspected was spandex with orange leg warmers. Tape was wrapped around his forearms and hands. Along with this attire, his Konoha headband was worn around his waist and a chuunin jacket on top. The "Green Beast," as he called himself, cannot mold chakra as other ninjas can. Therefore, he made his life goal to surpass a genius through hard work. He specializes in taijutsu. At that moment, he was kicking and throwing punches at one of the training logs.

A girl with chocolate brown hair, and eyes to match, wore buns on top of her head. She had a Chinese look about her, wearing burgundy capris and a white shirt with the trim of burgundy. She had scrolls upon scrolls laid out in front of her as she studied them, along with summoning different types of ninja tools from them. She would occasionally throw a couple of kunai at another log for target practice.

Lastly, there was another boy with dark brown hair that reached his lower back. It was tied into a low ponytail with hair that framed the sides of his face. His headband was worn over his forehead. He wore the traditional robes of his clan that were a khaki/grey color. His eyes were a light shade of lavender and held his clan's kekkei genkei of the Byakugan. He was born a prodigy and was a genius of the Gentle Fist. He was currently leaning against a tree in the shade, his arms folded across his chest, and his eyes were closed.

"Hey guys," I greeted them as I walked over to the trees near the lavender-eyed boy.

"Hey Shika-chan!" the boy with caterpillar eyebrows chimed. The name "Shika" is given to both my brother and I. We reference each other as Shika and our teammates do so as well. It is less of a mouth-full to say.

"It's about time you got here," the brunette teased, placing her hands on her hips. She gave a joking smile and her eyes were lit up.

"Hmph," the prodigy said, nodding his head to acknowledge my greeting, not even opening an eye.

I smiled. Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji Hyuga were my teammates. We've been on the same team for the past 5 years.

"Where is Gai-sensei?" I questioned. Our teacher was rarely ever late to training.

"Lee, didn't you say he went to see the Lady Tsunade?" inquired Tenten, glancing over to the hardworking boy.

"Hai! He should be here momentarily!" he shouts back, flames in his eyes. He then starts to do 500 push-ups.

"We will probably be here a while. Tenten, care to spar?" I ask, looking over to her as she starts to roll her scrolls.

"Sure!" she replies brightly. We don't generally get to spar together much because Gai-sensei usually pairs her and Lee together and Neji and I.

We stand facing one another about 20 feet apart. I take my stance and she reaches behind her for her scrolls. Tenten is a weapon specialist and should definitely be feared. She never misses her target.

Lee sits, watching intently, next to where Neji is standing. Neji opens one eye out of curiosity, still maintaining an emotionless expression. Yorokobi is lying in the sun, and rolling in the grass on the opposite side of the training grounds.

Tenten and I nod our heads in sync, meaning that we were both prepared. She slams her scrolls on the ground, jumping straight into the air and the scrolls open and circle her.

"Rising Twin Dragons!" she claims, as weapons pop out and she flings them everywhere. I jump out of the way, carefully dodging the weapons being chunked my way. In my mind, I try to devise a plan of action.

'_I need to distract her in order to weave my hand signs and capture her with my Shadow Possession jutsu, but how?' _ I think to myself.

I catch one of the kunai that she threw and chuck it back at her, knocking her off rhythm. She flips backwards and lands on the ground. She pulled out a large staff and charged at me, carefully observing the ground and shadows. At that point, I pull out my own kunai and throw it at her again, wielding my hand signs, she moved slightly to the right and grabbed the weapon I threw, holding it up to her throat.

Pure shock appeared on her face. She was no longer controlling her body.

"Tenten! What are you doing?!" Lee shouted from the sidelines, oblivious. Sometimes, Lee can zone out and completely miss things.

I held my imaginary kunai up to my throat as well, smirked, and released my jutsu.

"Nice job, Shikamara," Tenten said. I could sense a bit of disappointment in her voice.

"You did well, too, Tenten-chan," I encourage her.

I began walking back towards my other teammates when I tripped over a kunai that had plunged into the ground. In slow motion, I hit the earth with a 'thud.'

I let out an ear-piercing cry.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: All right, here's my second chapter! It's not that great of a chapter, but I promise next chapter will be better! I would like to take this opportunity to thank sPaRkzZz, Valerie Michaelis, and Seras16 for showing your support by following/alerting/reviewing my story. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please rate and review; tell me what you think!**

**Also, I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. However, Shikamara and Yorokobi are my characters.**

*Neji's POV*

Shikamara and Tenten challenged each other to a spar while our team waited for Gai-sensei's arrival. This shouldn't take long.

I opened one eye out of curiosity considering it wasn't often that the girls battled. Their fighting styles were both unique and mid-long range.

"Who do you think will win this glorious battle of friendship?!" Lee shouted enthusiastically as they took their places.

"Hmph, who's to say?" I replied, with a question while thinking, 'Shikamara.'

As expected, it didn't take long and Shikamara was the victor. She encouraged Tenten and closed her eyes, placing her hands in her pockets, and began walking towards Lee and I.

As her foot came into contact with a kunai sticking in the ground, she tripped and fell. Something wasn't right because she let out a painful cry.

Yorokobi barked in panic.

*Shikamara's POV*

I've never been what they consider "graceful." I'm actually pretty clumsy, and you would think, being a ninja, I would be more alert to my surroundings. I really need to pay more attention to what I'm doing when I am not on missions.

Of course, I didn't consider looking at the death trap that was the training ground before walking; there were weapons littered everywhere due to Tenten's jutsu, resembling a battlefield.

I was facedown into the ground and as I carefully pushed myself up, more pain shot through my left shoulder. I glanced over and to see blood spewing from my shoulder. A miniature scythe had pierced through my entire shoulder and when I had tried to get up, it cut into my shoulder even more.

Yorokobi's ears perked up and she yelped as she heard my scream. She ran over to where I was, dodging the random weapons on the ground.

"Shikamara!" Tenten shouted, running over to my side. She could run elegantly, considering this was the result of any training session that involved her. She helped me up, carefully holding the scythe in place.

"Neji! Lee! She's hurt! What should I do?!" she screamed, panicking.

"Tenten, it's okay, calm—ugh—down," I groaned, though I wasn't very convincing. Blood covered my shirt and I was panting.

"She needs to get to the hospital and quick," Neji said firmly. "Lee, you and Tenten stay here and wait for Gai-sensei to return. I'll take Shikamara to the hospital."

"Hai!" Lee replied, saluting Neji.

"It's okay, I don't need to go to the hospital," I told him, a slight smile on my face as I tried to stand on my own. My legs were weak, so I intentionally fell backwards onto my butt.

"Yes you do, you need to be healed," Neji retorted. "And you're losing a lot of blood."

"I'm so sorry," Tenten said sadly.

"Don't be, I'm fine," I replied with a smile, turning my head away from her as I winced. "I can heal myself."

Being in the Nara clan, I am able to perform the ninjutsu involving shadows. However, I wanted to broaden my jutsu to more than just shadow manipulation. I trained under Tsunade, thanks to Shikamaru's persuasion, for a little while to obtain the basics of medical ninjutsu.

Green chakra engulfed my right hand. I placed it behind my shoulder where the blade was protruding.

"I need someone to pull the blade out slowly while I heal," I said. "It will only take a couple of minutes."

Tenten was shaking and decided that she'd pick up her tools before someone else tripped over them. Rock Lee was a little too enthusiastic and hyper to sit still and hold a deadly weapon. He chose to finish his warm up. Neji, on the other hand, was always calm and in control over a situation.

Neji kneeled down in front of me, gently holding both my shoulder and the handle of the scythe. I had tears welling in my eyes as my chakra burned my skin. I bit my lip, trying to hide a groan of pain.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a few moments of my wincing and I began to sweat slightly. "Your face is pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, again muffling a groan. I had a weak feeling in my stomach like I was going to vomit, but I think it was due to the blood loss.

"Clearly not, considering you fell onto a sharp blade," he smirked. "You are the only person I know who could spar with a weapons specialist without receiving one scratch, then trip and mutilate yourself."

"Haha, aren't you funny?" I said, jokingly. "Almost done. Plus, if I recall correctly, something similar to this happened to you."

"If you're referring to my fight with one of the Sound Four, that was completely different. It was an arrow that went straight through my shoulder and left a crater," he said calmly, then getting a slight smirk on his face.

"And since you remember things so well, do you remember me telling you about the huge spider that fell on top of me and all the little ones coming from the sky?" he added, as I closed my eyes and flinched.

"That's so nasty!" I remarked, continuing my healing. Spiders, big or small, I can't stand them. Arachnids are not good. "I'm glad you're better now, though."

"Hn. By the way, you may need to go see Sakura to have this examined," Neji said. "Just to make sure it won't become infected."

"Yeah, maybe," I said, hearing a 'clink' as Neji placed the blood-drenched scythe to the side.

I finished healing my shoulder and Neji pulled out a roll of wrap and handed it to me.

"Thanks, Neji-kun," I said, grateful. I began wrapping my shoulder, still feeling a little light-headed.

At that moment, a wind blew leaves around into a whirlwind and a giant tortoise appeared, with an odd looking man on its back in a ridiculous pose. One of his arms was straight in the air and the other bent, making a circle around his eye.

"Heyyyyy everybody!" he yelled, hopping off the tortoise's back. "How are my youthful students this morning?"

"Wonderful, Gai-sensei!" Lee piped up, eyes glistening with admiration.

"Gai-sensei, Lee said you had to go see Lady Tsunade. Is that true?" Tenten probed the spandex-wearing instructor.

"Yes, Tenten. Lady Tsunade, and her youthful self, asked me to take care of something at her office."

"Do we have a mission?" Tenten asked, hopeful.

"We haven't been assigned one yet," he said. "Therefore we must utilize our free time by running 100 laps around the village and continue our training. Remember, my students, 'I must become stronger than I was yesterday!'"

"Hai, Gai-sensei," we all chimed and Yorokobi barked.

Gai-sensei then noticed I was wrapping my shoulder.

"Shikamara, what happened to your shoulder?" he probed dramatically. I laughed awkwardly.

"Well, you see, Tenten and I were having a really intense spar when—,"

"She tripped over a kunai and landed on a blade," Neji interrupted.

I glared at the Hyuga. He smirked back.

"You need to be more careful, Mara," Gai-sensei pressed.

"I know, Gai-sensei. I promise I'll be more alert of my surroundings," I said.

"Were you planning on going to the hospital?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hai, Gai-sensei! Right after training," I chimed, lying. I wasn't going to the hospital to explain what happened. Not to mention the other ninja would laugh at my stupidity. Not a chance.

"Hmm…. well, all right. Students, let us be off!" he hollered, as he took off running.

"Hai, Gai-sensei!" we said in unison, chasing after him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

*Gai's POV*

I watched my students train with all their might. I am grateful to have such dedicated kids working beneath me.

As I observed my students, I kept a particular eye on Shikamara. She had injured herself on accident while training with Tenten. Her shoulder was bothering her.

She's pushing herself too hard.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

*Shikamara's POV*

After about 2 hours of training, we took a break. It was now 10:30.

We all sat around the usual training grounds, panting and drinking the water we brought with us. It was a nice day for training. It was warm and there was a cool breeze.

Rock Lee and Gai-sensei were doing push-ups while Tenten, Neji, and I continued to rest.

"So, what are your plans for this afternoon, Shika-chan?" Tenten asked.

"Father, Shikamaru, and I are training. Before that, I'll meet Shika for lunch. Would you like to join us?" I ask, looking at my team.

"What about the hospital?" Gai-sensei asked, staring intently at the ground as he continued his push-ups.

"Ahh, I'll go see about that before lunch," I said, rubbing the back of my head with my right hand. I haven't used my left arm today because it's continued to bother me. I can't let my team know that, I'd be the weaker link.

No, my pride would not let me go to the hospital. My healing ninjutsu did the job; I just need to continue to heal it, little by little.

Gai-sensei gave me a stern look, and I could tell he was questioning my honesty. I looked away.

"I can't go eat with you, Shika-chan. I have to go purchase new weapons," Tenten said, she had a twinkle in her eyes.

"Gai-sensei and I cannot eat! We must train!" Lee said, jumping up and started doing squats.

"Neji?" I asked.

"Hn, I can't. Hinata-sama and I plan on training," he said, crossing his arms.

"Okay, maybe next time," I smiled at my team. Our individual personalities and techniques blend so well. We all enjoy our time spent together.

"All right, team. Since you worked hard today, you are free to go!" Gai-sensei said, giving us all a thumbs-up and shining smile.

Yorokobi barked with excitement. She had been relaxing during the training session and was ready to see Shikamaru.

She loves Shikamaru and he loves her. I'll catch them lying in the backyard, asleep, when they were enjoying a cloudy day.

"All right, Yorokobi, let's head out!" I said, getting up from the ground. She barked with excitement.

I waved goodbye to my teammates and headed towards the hospital. Once I got to Yamanaka's flower shop, I would cut over to Ichiraku's instead.

*Gai's POV*

We all stared at Shikamara's back as she walked away. I noticed that blood was seeping through her shirt even more. Had she re-opened her wound?

I turned to Neji.

"Neji, I need you to follow Shikamara," I told him. When it comes to being stealthy, Neji was the best on our team.

"To ensure she goes to the hospital?" he asked, a blank expression on his face.

"Hai," I said. "Her medical ninjutsu is at the advanced level in which to completely heal a wound like that."

"Got it," he said, and he was gone, leaving Tenten, Lee, and I.

*Shikamara's POV*

Yorokobi and I were walking down one of the roads. Enjoying the cool breeze and the socializing of the villagers.

Most of the villagers knew me due to my status in the Nara clan. I would wave and speak to the vendors or the shoppers as I walked by.

"Ahh, Miss Nara, how are you today?" a little old lady asked.

"I'm good, how are you?" I asked, smiling.

"Splendid. Are you sure you're all right? Is that blood?" she asked, a worried expression appeared on her face.

"Oh, hai. I just had an accident, but I'm better," I explained, trying to make her feel better.

"Okay then. You take care of yourself. Tell your parents I said hello," she said, and then patted Yorokobi on the head.

"Hai," I said, walking away.

We continued strolling and took a right instead of a left, heading towards Ichiraku's, when Yorokobi's head suddenly perked up and started sniffing the air.

"What is it?" I asked her.

She barked turning around and sniffing the air once more.

I turned around, too. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, just villagers hustling around.

I shrug it off and continue walking. She followed me after a couple of seconds of standing there.

*Neji's POV*

I did as Gai-sensei asked; I followed Shikamara to see if she was true to her word. She's generally very obedient. She follows the rules and if she doesn't, she feels guilty.

I lurked in the shadows of buildings and other structures, using my Byakugan to locate her.

She stopped to talk to an elderly woman and continued on her way. She came to the turn in which she'd either go left, towards the hospital, or right to the ramen shop.

She turned right.

_Figures._

I jumped down from my post, deciding on whether I should warn her about Gai-sensei or let her go on her way.

Yorokobi suddenly sensed my chakra and barked, looking in my direction.

I jumped into an alley just in time. Neither of them noticed me. After a couple of seconds, they turned around and went on their way.

_I should tell her that Gai-sensei's suspicious,_ I thought.

_No, it's not your place, she needs to listen and follow his orders,_ I counter-argued.

_But she rarely breaks the rules._

I sighed.

I was going to tell her.

*Shikamara's POV*

We finally made it.

I walked into the shop, speaking to the owner and his daughter, and spotted my brother.

"Oi, Shika," I said, sliding onto the stool beside him.

"Oi-iiiii," he said, with a panic look on his face. His irises grew smaller and his mouth created a sideways grimace. "Why are you covered in blood?"

"Oh, about that, I got hit by a scythe but I healed it myself," I replied, looking at him with an innocent and proud expression, hoping he would feel better about it.

"Have you been by the hospital yet?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I wasn't planning on going to the hospital," I snorted. "Can no one trust my medical skills?"

"It's not that, I just want to make sure it won't become infected. Did you clean the wound?"

"Of course," I said, glancing away.

Shikamaru caught this and replied, "You're going to the hospital."

"Fine, then you and Gai-sensei will be pleased!" I said, raising my arms and I felt a shock of pain bolt from my shoulder to my fingers, and then back to my shoulder. I cringed.

Shikamaru expressed a worried look before turning to the owner of the ramen shop.

"Two miso pork ramens, please," he said.

"Coming right up!" the owner exclaimed.

**A/N: I know, again, this chapter was kinda bad. Please hang with me! I promise I'll do better next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

Beep Beep 3

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me so far and for the favorites, updates, and reviews! I really appreciate it. ^-^ Especially considering it has been a while since I've updated. It's been a rough couple of months for me. One of the most influential people in my life passed away recently. Anywho, if I had any artistic ability or if I were any good at using the Paint Tool Sai on my computer, I would love to make a picture of Shikamara and one with her and Neji. Unfortunately, I have no talent in that department. Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy! Forgive me if this is a boring chapter and if there are any characters OOC, I try to stay true to the characters. Please review!**

*Shikamaru's POV*

I was 15 minutes early to the ramen shop, so I just waited for Mara to meet me here. After lunch, I have to go meet a shinobi from another nation and welcome them to the village.

'_How troublesome,'_ I thought as I let out a sigh.

"Oi, Shika," I heard a familiar voice say. I turn and see my sister slide onto a stool next to me.

"Oi-iiiii," I replied. She was covered in blood. I spotted the bandage on her left shoulder that was almost hidden underneath her sleeve. "Why are you covered in blood?"

"Oh, about that, I got hit by a scythe but I healed it myself," she said quickly. She smiled at me with an innocent gleam in her eyes and a grin that symbolized a pride in her medical skills.

"Have you been by the hospital yet?" I asked, not quite sure if I should have asked. Women can be sensitive to any question, depending on how it's asked. At the same time, I want to make sure it was healed…. properly.

"I wasn't planning on going to the hospital," she snarled stubbornly. "Can no one trust my medical skills?"

"It's not that, I just want to make sure it won't become infected. Did you clean the wound?" I asked.

"Of course," she said, quickly looking away.

_She didn't._ I mentally face-palmed. She has a similar mindset and personality that the old man and I do, but she has our mother's temper and partial personality. I think it's a girl thing.

"You're going to the hospital," I said sternly.

"Fine, then you and Gai-sensei will be pleased!" she said, exasperated. She lifted her arms and cringed.

I love my sister, and I would do anything for her. I tend to be protective at times. I don't like seeing her in pain. You know, typical older brother stuff. But, with an IQ as high as hers is, she can tend to be a little ditzy. I would never tell her that, but she sometimes just doesn't think. Not to mention she's stubborn like our mother.

"Two pork miso ramens, please," I requested as I made eye contact with the owner of the restaurant.

"Coming right up!" he replied.

I felt a felt something cold and wet rub against my foot and I jumped. I looked down into the chestnut-colored eyes of Yorokobi. I smiled and rubbed her head.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

*Neji's POV*

Shikamara and her dog walked into the ramen shop and I overheard her conversation with her brother. It seems as though she was really planning on going to the hospital this time.

I decided to leave her alone, not let her know I was following her, and report back to Gai-sensei.

I used the transportation jutsu and, with a 'poof,' I was back at the training grounds.

"Gai-sensei, she is eating with Shikamaru, but she is planning on going to the hospital afterwards," I report.

"Hm, okay. Thank you, Neji, you are dismissed," he said, turning back to Lee as they run off into their _sunset of youth_.

I began walking to the Hyuga compound to meet with Hinata-sama.

*Shikamara's POV*

"So," I began, turning to my brother. "How was training with Asuma-sensei and your team?"

"Eh," he said while placing his hands behind his head. "It was all right. Ino was ticked because we were up so early."

I chuckled, "She should come train with my team and Gai-sensei."

He smirked.

"She would be miserable, and I'd have to hear about it," he replied.

**(A/N: I don't think I mentioned before, but the reason that Shikamara is not a part of the Ino-Shika-Cho Formation is because she is the second-born child. That's also part of why Shikamaru did not skip a grade. Not to mention that Team Gai is absolutely perfect, except they lack a medical ninja, until Mara came along ^-^. Follow me? I hope so!)**

"What are you doing after lunch?" I asked him. He'd probably take a nap or something before training with father.

"I was called to the Hokage's office half-way through training. I'm supposed to meet a shinobi from another village soon," he answered, kind of shortly.

"Do you know who it is?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Hai, but i-it's not a big deal," he quickly stated. He was hiding something.

"Please tell me, I wanna know!" I prodded.

"You'll find out soon enough," he stated and left it there.

"Hmph," I huffed, disappointed that he wouldn't tell me.

We sat in silence before I let out a huge gasp.

"It's Temari-san!" I said, grabbing his arm and shaking him. "That's why you didn't want me to know…. You jerk!"

He smirked and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks.

"Keep it down, will ya?" he hushed. Shikamaru and Temari have such an odd relationship. He likes her, even though she's bossy. She likes him pretty well, I think. I don't typically talk about it considering he gets really uptight and changes the subject quickly.

"Ahh, it's been so long since I've seen her! I think the last time we saw her was back when Sasuke left the village…and she had to save you," I teased.

"Hmph," he snorted. "Yeah, that's been about three years. I've seen her since then, having to take several missions to Suna."

"Oh yeah! I did see her when I went with you and your team to Suna. The last time you went, about 6 months ago," I remembered.

"That's right," he commented.

"Here you go!" the ramen shop owner's daughter, Ayame, placed the two bowls in front of us.

"Arigato," we both said in unison.

"Itadakimasu!" I exclaimed, breaking my chopsticks.

"Heh, you sound like Naruto," Shikamaru said.

"Speaking of which, shouldn't he and Jiraiya-sensei be coming back to the village soon?"

"Hai," he said before slurping his ramen.

"Man, I've missed that orange jumpsuit," I remarked and we both laughed and Yorokobi let out a happy bark.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We finished our lunch and we paid for our meals. We walked outside of the restaurant and began walking towards the hospital. Shikamaru had some time to spare and he wanted to make sure that I went to the hospital. Yorokobi trotted along beside us.

"What's Temari-san coming to Konoha for?" I asked, it wasn't often that the members of the Sand Village visited.

"She's going to be a proctor for the upcoming Chuunin Exam. I think she has another small mission from her village that she's taking care of now, along with the conference for the proctors," he stated, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Ahh, the Chuunin Exam," I said, remembering the first time our teams took the rigorous exam. "Are you going to be a proctor as well? Chances are, you will be."

"Yeah, Tsunade-sama already recruited me," he stated. "What a drag.."

"I'm still so happy Temari's visiting!" I said underneath my breath.

"Yeah, it's been a while," he said, a grin tugging at his mouth.

As we strolled to the hospital, we fell silent. Neither of us felt the need to talk and we could pretty much sense that. We passed many shop owners and vendors selling a variety of produce and trinkets.

We walked into the hospital's lobby and I noticed that Sakura was behind the counter. She appeared to be concentrating on the medical documents she had sitting in front of her.

"Oi," I said, catching her attention. She looked up and smiled at me, then saw that I was stained with crimson.

"Shika-chan, it's good to see you! Shikamaru, you too," she said, acknowledging both of us. "How can I help you?"

"I just need someone to examine my shoulder," I replied, glancing at my left arm.

"Sure, I'll take you to a room and have you fill out a sheet of paperwork," she said while grabbing a clipboard and motioning for us to follow.

We walked down a long hallway, the hallways were white and it smelled very clean and sanitary, as a hospital should. I love the smell of hospitals. She put me in a room and I sat on the bed, while Shika took one of the available chairs and Yorokobi lay on the floor beside him.

Sakura returned before I could complete the paperwork, but she waited patiently.

"Okay, let's see," she said, putting on gloves before unwrapping my bandage. "What happened?"

"Well, I was sparring with Tenten and I was hit with a scythe and it pierced my shoulder. So, I healed it myself. My brother and Gai-sensei felt that I should have it examined to make sure that I did it properly," I explained.

"Oh my," she said, something that I did not wish to hear. "You did a pretty good job, it seems you opened the wound again, but it is a little red and feels feverish."

She paused, thinking of a solution to the possible infection that lingered in my shoulder.

"I'm going to clean it and bandage it back up. I'm going to leave it open because I think it will heal better than if I close the wound again," she remarked, gathering some simple, sanitary cleaning supplies. "You will need to clean it twice daily and bandage it afterwards for the next week."

She came back over the where I was sitting and used a bottle to squirt some kind of sanitary solution into my wound. I bit my lip to keep from groaning as it bubbled and burned. She swabbed the excess fluid with a cotton ball.

"All right, I'm going to give you a pack of gauze and some bandaging wrap for you to take home," she said, collecting the supplies. "And I'll bandage your shoulder before you leave. If you have any more trouble with your shoulder, please come back and visit us. By the way, take it easy with training. You should be healed in about 5-7 days, if you take it easy."

She smiled and wrapped my shoulder.

"Arigato, Sakura-chan," I chimed as my shoulder felt a ton better. I put my medical supplies into my bag and Shika and I followed her out of the room.

"I hope you feel better! Come back and see us for a healthy visit," she said, winking and waving.

"Bye!" I said, waving back as Shika, Yorokobi, and I headed towards the gate.

"Well, it's almost 11:45 and that's the expected time Temari's going to make it here. I'd better head to the gate. Do you want to greet her?" Shika asked.

"Yeah, if you don't mind me tagging along, then I'll go home and clean up before training with you and the old man," I replied.

"Didn't Sakura say you couldn't train for a couple of days?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"She said take it easy and I will," I said bluntly.

Shikamaru let out a sigh and looked up at the partly cloudy sky.

"Man, I wish I could just lay out under the sky today instead of escorting Temari around," he complained.

"It is a pretty day, but I thought you were looking forward to seeing her. Did you say _escort_?"

"I am, but I don't want to have to walk all over the village, showing her around, where she'll be staying, and all that stuff," he replied.

"Ahh, that part doesn't sound fun," I stated.

We finally saw the gate in the distance. Izumo and Kotetsu were standing by the gate, monitoring any disturbances that might take place by the border.

"Izumo, Kotetsu! I yelled, waving at them. They were so much fun to be around.

"Well, well, isn't it the Nara twins. Looks like you've been training too hard," Izumo said, pointing at my shirt.

"Pshh, it's no big deal," I said, shrugging it off.

"What brings you two to these neck of the woods?" Kotetsu asked before kneeling down to pet Yorokobi.

"I have a mission to escort a ninja from Suna around Konoha. Mara's just here to greet her," Shika remarked.

"Ohhhh, would this ninja happen to be-," Izumo started.

"Temari-san?" Kotetsu and Izumo chimed in unison, teasing Shikamaru.

"Yes, Temari is coming for a conference about the Chuunin Exam," he said, keeping his cool but I could tell it frustrated him.

In that moment, a big gust of wind picked up and we all placed our arms in front of our bodies for support and protection in case objects were to fly at us.

Once the wind died down, I looked up to see the Sand kunoichi herself standing with her fan opened and resting on the ground.

"Temari-san!" I said, running over and hugging her.

"Shikamara? It's been ages!" she exclaimed, hugging me back.

"I know it. Shikamaru told me he was coming to meet up with you here and I tagged along," I said after we let go of each other. "It's so good to see you!"

"Same to you," she said, then turning towards my brother. "I didn't know Shikamaru would be my escort, so this is all a pleasant surprise."

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm going to head to the house. I'm sure I'll see you around sometime. Have fun you two!" I said, smiling at them. "Bye Izumo, Kotetsu," I added and whistled at Yorokobi before turning to walk to my clan's compound, Yorokobi at my side.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I walked in the front door, took off my ninja shoes, and saw my mother lounging on the couch and reading a book. I spoke to her, explained what happened with my shoulder for what felt like the millionth time, and went into my bedroom to change clothes.

I proceeded to find an outfit to wear: a pair of sweatpants that cling around my calves and a somewhat loose t-shirt.

I have two and a half hours until I train again, so I decided to relax for a little while, "take it easy" as Sakura said.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

My father woke me up for training and I explained to him where Shika was. Mother had already informed him of my "accident" and decided to just focus on my jutsu: throwing kunai with shadows, trapping the log targets, and other techniques.

The day ended after training. Father told me that he would be teaching me a new jutsu during our next training sessions. I am thrilled about learning a new technique!

A couple of days went by and I continued training. I took care of my wound, which had been healing remarkably. Temari left the village and would soon return for the exam. According to Shika, Naruto was back in Konoha. I haven't seen him since he left to train with Jiraiya-sensei and I am ecstatic about seeing the knuckle-headed ninja.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Tap. Tap._

_Tap._

I roll over in my bed, waking up to an annoying tapping on my window. I lift my head and squint to see outside. All I see are a pair of huge bug eyes and fuzzy caterpillar eyebrows to compliment them.

I let out a cry and fall off of my bed.

"Mara-chan!" Lee exclaims, waving at me. "Get ready, we have a mission!"

I crawled up the side of my bed and looked at him, both angrily and curiously. I looked at the clock that read 7:59. Gai-sensei gave us the day off, so I planned on sleeping in.

"What kind of mission?" I asked, opening the window before regaining my composure as I sat on my bed.

"I am not sure, but we meet at the Hokage's office at 8:15! See you there!" he said quickly, and then he was off.

"8:15?!" I screeched, infuriated and panicked because of the lack of time. I scuttled about my room, throwing on a pair of my black pants, my long-sleeved black shirt, my chuunin jacket, and wrapped my headband around my forehead. I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, put on mascara, and brush my hair. I didn't wrap my shoulder because it has been 5 days since I had my injury and my wound has almost completely healed. I am able to move my shoulder more, though it's a little rusty.

I grabbed my bag that is always prepared, containing two sets of clothes, a medical kit, and weapons. I threw it over my shoulder and ran down the hallway, tying my hair into a high ponytail.

My mother was at the sink washing dishes and it appeared that my brother and father have already left the house to start their days.

"Good morning, Mara," my mother said.

"Morning, Mama," I respond. I grabbed a bagel out of the refrigerator and place it in the toaster. "I have a mission today! I don't know how long I'll be gone. I think Lady Tsunade will explain it to us and then give us a time frame in which to prepare accordingly."

I continued to rush about the kitchen, preparing a to-go cup of coffee and making sure I had everything I needed. My mother continued to wash the dishes, but I could tell that my recklessness in her kitchen was getting on her nerves. The toaster popped out my slightly toasted bagel. I grabbed it and smeared oodles of cream cheese on it before placing it in my mouth.

"Let us know what your mission entails before you leave, if you can," she said. "Please be careful. I love you."

I ran and hugged my mom, telling her I love her too, before racing out the door. I got about halfway down the block until I realized I had forgotten something and had to turn back around.

I opened the door to my house.

"Yorokobi! Come on, girl. We're gonna be late!" I call into the house. Yorokobi comes barreling around the corner and flings herself out the door.

"Bye, Mama! Love you!" I yelled, and then I was off to Lady Tsunade's office.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yorokobi and I skid to a halt in front of Lady Tsunade's office. We were running full speed in order to reach our destination to hear the mission's details. I primped my hair and straightened my jacket before opening the door of the Hokage's office. With my eyes closed and a smile on my face, I entered the office.

"My apologies for being late, Hokage-sam-" I began, opening my eyes mid-sentence. "Ehh?!"

The office was empty. My jaw dropped.

'_Where in the hell are they? Lee told me this is where we were meeting!'_ I thought.

Shizune was walking by with Tonton when she noticed I was standing in the Hokage's office looking confused and frantic.

"Shikamara, are you looking for your team?" she asked.

"Hai, Shizune-san," I replied.

"They are meeting in front of the gate with Tsunade-sama," she told me, smiling and carrying on her way.

"Arigato!" I said. I motioned my head towards the window and Yorokobi and I leaped out the window to the gate to meet up with the team.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* Neji's POV *

I left the Hyuga compound with plenty of time to get to the Konoha Gate. I walked along the pathway, enjoying the weather that was perfect, warm in the sun, but a cool breeze blowing every so often.

"Neji! Neji, wait up!" Tenten called from a distance.

I turned around slowly to see my teammate running to catch up with me, waving her arm to get my attention. She finally caught up, bending over with her hands on her knees attempting to catch her breath.

"Are you...excited that we…have a mission?" she asked in between gasps.

"Yes, and it's about time we got a mission. Let's hope it's significant," I replied. We haven't had a mission in over a month. If we did have a mission, it was only a one-day deal.

She finally caught her breath and we continued to the gate.

Once we got there, we waited with Gai-sensei for Lee, Shikamara, and Hokage-sama. Lee arrived first, saluted our teacher, and started doing warm-up exercises. Lady Tsunade arrived at precisely 8:15.

"Where's Mara, Lee?" Tenten questioned the spandex-wearing comrade.

"I stopped by her house at 8:00, she should be on her way," Lee replied.

"You only gave her 15 minutes' notice? No wonder she's not here!" Tenten exclaimed, frustrated.

"LEE!" Gai-sensei yelled, punching his beloved student across his face. "I told you to tell her an hour ago! Communication is important!"

"I'm sorry, Gai-sensei," Lee said, hanging his head in disappointment with himself.

'It's too early for this,' I thought to myself.

"Well, we'll go ahead and get started without her. Please inform her when she gets here," Tsunade-sama started. "You all are on the same mission as Kakashi's team. Your mission is to head to Suna to help support them and Kakashi's squad, understood?"

"Right!" Gai-sensei expressed loudly. "Ahh-achoo!"

"Do you have a cold?" Lady Tsunade questioned.

"No, I've had hay fever for a while now," he laughed. "Right! Everyone, let's get to the Sand in one day!

"No, sensei! Let's get there in half a day!" Lee chirped, annoyingly.

I leaned over to Tenten, "What are they thinking? It takes three days…"

"_Please_ stop talking nonsense like that!" she scolded the two look-alikes.

Tenten continued to scold Gai-sensei and Rock Lee as I heard the faint sound of footsteps. Tsunade-sama turned around and I looked behind her to see Shikamara running with her dog as fast as she could possibly run.

* Shikamara's POV *

I was running down the stone street to reach my team and the Hokage. I could see them in the distance and picked up the pace. I despise running, but it's part of being a ninja. I slid to a stop as I approached the leader of the village.

"I…am…so…sorry…Lady Tsunade!" she gasped.

"It's all right. From what I could gather, you were only given 15 minutes notice. Your team can explain the mission to you. You are going to Suna," she said, turning back to the rest of the team. "You can have some time to gather extra materials for the mission. I would like to see you leave in 30 minutes from now. Good luck."

She turned abruptly and walked back to her office.

"All right, everyone gather the items you deem necessary for this mission and we will meet back here in 3o minutes to leave," Gai-sensei stated. "Shikamara, we will explain the mission on the way."

"Hai," I managed to say.

"This gives me 30 minutes to train!" Lee exclaimed enthusiastically and ran off, Gai-sensei following suit.

"Mara, what have you packed?" Tenten asked, turning to face me.

"I only have my usual bag, necessary items for two days. I need to go home and gather more stuff. What about you two?" I asked.

"I have enough for the mission, how about you Neji?" Tenten inquired, both of us looking at the stoic prodigy.

"I'm prepared," he said bluntly, crossing my arms as he normally did.

"Okay, well I'm going to go pack up some more goods for the mission. I'll see you guys in a few," I said sighing and taking off towards the Nara compound. Yorokobi barked and followed alongside me. I feel like we've been making one huge circle.

While lightly running towards the Nara compound, I could see my brother leaving the house. I shouted out for him and chased him down, jumping on his back.

"Oi! What are you doing?!" he yelled, almost falling over.

"I'm about to leave for a mission and I don't know when I'll be back," I replied, jumping off of his back. I smiled at him, "You had better look after mom and dad while I'm gone, and don't get into any trouble either."

"Heh," he smirked. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that. Be careful on your mission. Try not to impale yourself."

"I'll try not to," I said. "I don't really know what the mission will entail. If I'm gone too long, I'll send word."

"All right, see you later," my brother said, giving me a big hug and I returned the gesture. Hugs from my brother are always the best.

Shikamaru gave Yorokobi a pat on the head and turned around to continue on his way.

I hurried into the house to see that mother had gone into the village to probably run errands. I darted into my room and packed all of my necessary items: clothes, kunai, medical tape and alcohol swabs, and toiletries, trying to be conscious about the weight of my bag. Double-checking that I had everything I needed, I took off to the Konoha Gate.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Yorokobi and I reached the Konoha Gate with 10 minutes to spare. The Hyuga genius was sitting in the shade of a nearby tree with weapon expert. We chatted for about 5 minutes before Gai-sensei and Rock Lee came barreling down the street enthusiastically and ready to head out for the mission.

"All right, then! Team Gai is ready to go!" the spandex-wearing jounin exclaimed. "Mara, we'll explain the mission to you on the way."

"Hai, sounds good," I replied, resituating my backpack.

"Let's move out!" Gai-sensei yelled.

With a _whoosh_, we were off to Suna.

**(A/N: Again, I want to thank you all who have supported me with this story. I apologize for the late update and lame chapter, but now that summer is ahead, I should have plenty of time to write! Please, feel free to message me and/or review. I want to know if my writing is worth anything. Much love. xoxo)**


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